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Well, luckily it seems that we'll manage to steal a game this afternoon from the D-Rays with possibly the worst lineup the Sox have put on the field since Theo Epstein took over. Hopefully after today, the GM will take the day off to fix the bench. Right now we have Mirabelli, Hyzdu, Stern, Cora, and Olerud. Saturday we'll get Kapler back. Right now I'd send back down Lenny DiNardo and bring up Petagine or Youkilis. Then on Saturday send Hyzdu down and play Kapler in right while Nixon is on the DL. I wouldn't be opposed to Olerud being DFA'd to bring up both Youks and Petagine. Right now, with Nixon out and Manny sitting out, we need all the hitting we can afford. By Saturday we could have a team like this-

While that's not a great team, it can get by even if we don't make a trade and wait until Clement, Nixon, and Foulke heal up for the stretch. I think we'll make a move (most likely for JC Romero with Mueller, thus freeing up a spot for Petagine on the roster and bringing up Youks, while simultaneously strengthening the 'pen), but on short notice, that's a solid patch job from within.

Not only because of the contract..But then what would we do? Without Manny We have Ortiz as the other slugger, who would probably never see another pitch in the strike zone again. Manny is back to his old ****ing ways..

"They did what they wanted to, when they wanted to do it, and how they wanted to do it"--Miami LB Zach Thomas on the Patriots offense

By my count the last time Manny had a day off was July 7th vs Baltimore. After which he played 3 more games in Baltimore before the All Star break. (I think this couldnt have been much of a "break" for the players involved considering the travel, etc involved in this game. Im sure that anyone who travels regularly will confirm that going through major airports in the last few years is anything but relaxing) Then Manny played 7 games at home, 4 more in Chicago (where he was apparently promised a day off, but talked out of it) and then 3 more games in Tampa, before "forcing" Francona to give him a day off.

So, in essence, Manny had "worked" 19 days in a row before todays game. If i worked 19 days in a row, (and especially if i had been promised a day off and then talked out of it), and then promised another day off, and then my boss tried to talk me out of that too, i would be apt to stick to my guns also. Is he not supposed to have a day off again until Trot is healthy? Isnt it better that he take a day off now vs the Devil Rays than next week vs the Twins?

I know Manny is a bit flakey.Maybe he is unhappy about something. But maybe he is just tired.I know they have an "off" day tomorrow, but its just more travel, more airports. He is a human being, not a machine. He needs down time just like the rest of us. You can say all you want about his job being a game, but he spends just as much time at his job as most of the rest of us do when you factor in the travel time and all of the other ancilliary things that go with being a big league player. If he had "forced" this day off and then refused to pinch hit in tight game or something, OK then i'd be upset. But sheesh let the guy have a day off without it becoming a federal case.

All this will be forgotten when Manny has a 20 for 35 streak with 8 or 10 homers and 20 or so rbi's anyway :) so i guess its not really worth getting all worked up over.

I have respect that these guys need a day off now and then. It's a grueling season. But you don't take it the day after you see a starter go down with an injury, when you have a day off the following day.

I really wanna see the moves Theo makes this week. I think we'll know how good our team is after the trade deadline passes.

However I think we're in good position. Obviously there's not one fan on here who wouldn't be disappointed if we didn't win it again this year. However unlike previous years where we had to hear about the stupid curse and "Next year" we can actually look forward to next year thanks to our much improved farm system.

Most of the problems this year were due to the bullpen and some inconsistencies at the starting pitching and maybe a slight problem was due to the lack of hitting from 1b and 2b.

Next year we have much to look forward to: Papelbon, Lester, Pedroia, Ramirez, Hansen. Sure some of those guys may still be in the minors next year but at least a bunch of them will be in the bigs for next season.

There's also a kid the sox drafted we should keep our eye on, I mentioned him in the mlb forum, Pedro Alvarez. I've been hearing sox wanted to wait to see how he plays in the summer league before giving him the money he wants to sign(instead of going to Vanderbuilt) He's hitting like .397 now with 12 homers and nobody is even close to his production. He could either be a ss or 2b prospect for us, maybe even 3b. Sure would be nice to keep the youth movement going.

I still think we have a pretty good team and if the pen is corrected we can repeat(even with the crappy bullpen we've played pretty damn good)

I have respect that these guys need a day off now and then. It's a grueling season. But you don't take it the day after you see a starter go down with an injury, when you have a day off the following day.

I ask again...Is manny not supposed to have another day off until Trot is back? And what if Trot plays, but is only 70%...can Manny have a day off then? Dont forget we play the Twins next week, who are a vastly better team than the D-Rays. Maybe Manny can have a day off in the KC series....they suck too. But Trot may not be healthy by then...so no...better make him play. Lets see....then we have series against the Twins again, the Rangers and White Sox...these teams are all too good to let him have a day off.....Hmmmm maybe the Detrot series, although theyve been playing better....then the Angels......wow its almost the end of August! But Manny makes 20 mil a season so he can just suck it up right?

Its ONE game. (and we won it by the way) Its not really Manny's fault that his backup is a rookie with about 5 ML ab's. At some point Adam Stern is going to have to play, and it may as well be vs the D Rays as anyone else.

I get to watch precious few RedSox games here, and when i finally get to, i want to see Manny and Ortiz and Damon and Schilling etc. When one of them doesnt play i feel a bit cheated and pissed about it. And it would be worse if i paid money for a ticket. But i can also see things from their point of view. They are human. They need down time. And i wont ever begrudge them that.
If this had been a Yankees series i could understand all the clamor. But it was the f'ing devil rays. As someone stated before, if we cant beat the D Rays without Manny, then we have bigger problems.

With the trade deadline just a few days away, yeah, Manny could play for one more week and see if a replacement comes. Yeah, he could wait until the Sox call up a replacement OF for Trot. Yeah, when the manager asks him if he'll hold off on his day off because the team just took an injury hit, f*k yeah he can be a good teammate and play another game.

Oh, and BTW, when the team is tied in the top of the 9th inning, he can friggin run out a double play ground ball, instead of jogging all the way down the line.

And when he hits a pop fly down the right field line, he can run, instead of admiring his pop fly, and watching it drop in, and then overrun 2nd base and put himself at risk for being picked off.

But fundamentally, when the team has taken a hit, and the manager asks if you'll play, you say YES. And you KNOW Francona was livid about this, because he told the media and the pregame show that he'd asked Manny to play but he wouldn't.

Yeah, Manny is a hell of a talent. If he hit 20HR a year and knocked in 85RBI and made $1.5 mil, he'd be the most hated player on the Red Sox. Instead he hits 40/120 and makes $20 mil, so he's the most loved.

I can put up with some of the antics. Disappearing into the wall to take a piss in the middle of an inning. ok, that's amusing. Missing a cutoff man. ha ha ha. Just Manny being Manny. But some of this sh1t has gotten way out of hand.

My problem with it is being lazy. It's kind of ironic isnt it...Remember when Nomar sat down and pouted in the dugout last year when we tried to come back from the Yanks, while his team was doing everything they could while cheering from the dugout? I'm not saying Manny sucks because he sat out against the Devil Rays. What I have a problem with is he was lazy last night, and when his manager NEEDS him to play today when he has a day off tommorow, he should play. Is it a big deal? No, it's not. But..It's laziness. And thats the kind of bull**** attitude thats hurt us this year. To many guys like Manny and Millar thinking they won Boston, so why not breeze through the season, right?

I have always liked Manny..but they way he is acting is ridiculous. Miguel Tejada for instance, is in the field making play after play, and oh yeah..He swings a damn good bat to. Do I ever see him sit out? No. I'm just saying man..Manny is payed more than Tejada..And Manny cannot suck it up for 1 more game before a day off? tsk tsk.

"They did what they wanted to, when they wanted to do it, and how they wanted to do it"--Miami LB Zach Thomas on the Patriots offense

By my count the last time Manny had a day off was July 7th vs Baltimore. After which he played 3 more games in Baltimore before the All Star break. (I think this couldnt have been much of a "break" for the players involved considering the travel, etc involved in this game. Im sure that anyone who travels regularly will confirm that going through major airports in the last few years is anything but relaxing) Then Manny played 7 games at home, 4 more in Chicago (where he was apparently promised a day off, but talked out of it) and then 3 more games in Tampa, before "forcing" Francona to give him a day off.

So, in essence, Manny had "worked" 19 days in a row before todays game. If i worked 19 days in a row, (and especially if i had been promised a day off and then talked out of it), and then promised another day off, and then my boss tried to talk me out of that too, i would be apt to stick to my guns also. Is he not supposed to have a day off again until Trot is healthy? Isnt it better that he take a day off now vs the Devil Rays than next week vs the Twins?

I know Manny is a bit flakey.Maybe he is unhappy about something. But maybe he is just tired.I know they have an "off" day tomorrow, but its just more travel, more airports. He is a human being, not a machine. He needs down time just like the rest of us. You can say all you want about his job being a game, but he spends just as much time at his job as most of the rest of us do when you factor in the travel time and all of the other ancilliary things that go with being a big league player. If he had "forced" this day off and then refused to pinch hit in tight game or something, OK then i'd be upset. But sheesh let the guy have a day off without it becoming a federal case.

All this will be forgotten when Manny has a 20 for 35 streak with 8 or 10 homers and 20 or so rbi's anyway :) so i guess its not really worth getting all worked up over.

Miguel Tejada has played in every game since 2000, and that year he missed just 2 games. That's playing the 2nd most stressful position in the game, shortstop. Manny barely passes as an outfielder and he plays 19 games in a row and needs a night off? After we had a serious injury to an OFer and a day off the next day??? Nope, sorry, that doesn't cut it. Manny pulls this crap every year, like him not pinch-hitting with a sore throat in Philly last year, or eating with Enrique Wilson before that. He's an idiot, but this was the worst-timed, most selfish incident of his tenure. To me, this is right up there with not running out the grounder in Tampa a few years back. Tito needs to have a long talk with him about having a sense of responsibility.

Miguel Tejada has played in every game since 2000, and that year he missed just 2 games. That's playing the 2nd most stressful position in the game, shortstop. Manny barely passes as an outfielder and he plays 19 games in a row and needs a night off? After we had a serious injury to an OFer and a day off the next day??? Nope, sorry, that doesn't cut it. Manny pulls this crap every year, like him not pinch-hitting with a sore throat in Philly last year, or eating with Enrique Wilson before that. He's an idiot, but this was the worst-timed, most selfish incident of his tenure. To me, this is right up there with not running out the grounder in Tampa a few years back. Tito needs to have a long talk with him about having a sense of responsibility.

Well heck, Cal Ripken played 2500 games in a row, why not compare Manny to him? :) Im certainly not defending the not running out ground balls and not pinch hitting type stuff. He's a professional and he should do the things that professionals are expected to do. Maybe its my relative isolation from RedSox news here in SC. I really dont get that much news about what goes on with the team from day to day, unless its on Sportscenter. But it does seem (to me anyway) that everyone sits on the edge of their seat waiting for Manny's Next Blunder. His shinanigans dont really get on my nerves all that much. Obviously im in the minority. I guess im just ok with the price of Manny's Bat being the occasional oddball action, or the occasional mistimed day off. Like i said in an earlier post, if this had been a Yankees game, i would have felt totally different.

One Sox veteran blamed the media. ''You guys never hold him accountable," he said. ''I've never seen a guy get such a free pass. You all think it's a joke, 'Manny being Manny.' What is 'Manny being Manny?' Him disrespecting the game?"

Ok, nevermind how dumb it was to call out the media while having no accountability himself, whoever said that. But clearly the players are pissed. Francona was pissed. The guy gets pass after pass after pass, when it's true that all he does is disrespect the game day in and day out. He has his at bats, an occasional moment in the OF, but his entire career is about how many ways he can disrespect the game.

He is coasting on his talent. But he is bad for the game. If the Sox could get rid of him, they would have multiple times at this point.